Apparatus for throwing a disc-shaped target



Dec. 24, 1968 s. HANSEN APPARATUS FOR THHOWING A DISC-SHAPED TARGETFiled 00T.. 22, 1965 United States Patent Ofiice Patented Dec. 24, 19683,417,741 APPARATUS FOR THROWING A DISC-SHAPED TARGET Ib SchreinerHansen, Willesmoesvej 3, Svendborg, Denmark Filed Oct. 22, 1965, Ser.No. 500,722 Claims priority, application Denmark, Oct. 23, 1964, 5,253/64 1 Claim. (Cl. 124-8) ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE A target throwingapparatus for throwing disc-shaped targets and having a throwing armwhich is pivotably movable in a plane which is inclined in relation to ahorizontal plane and is moved by a power source, preferably a spring.The throwing arm has a sliding and supporting surface for the targetduring the throwing, the surface being shaped as a right-angled trianglewith a maximum width only slightly greater than the radius of thetarget.

The invention relates to a target trap for throwing discshaped targets,so-called clay pigeons, for target practice. The said apparatus consistsof a frame in which a throwing arm mounted to pivot about an upwardlyinclining axis is adapted to be swung part of a revolution from itslocked position by a prime mover, preferably a spring, so that the claypigeon, supported on its fiat part by a longitudinal surface of thethrowing arm and resting with its peripheral surface in Contact withanother surface of the throwing arm, is hurled along the said arm andhence obliquely up into the air.

There are known target traps, in which the clay pigeon is placed in aclaw at the end of the throwing arm and released by the claw when thecentrifugal force exceeds a certain limit. In calm weather it is posibleto throw a clay pigeon about 50 m. by means of such an apparatus, but ina head wind and side wind the performance is much inferior. In recentapparatus, it has become the practice to guide the clay pigeon in suchmanner that it is caused to rotate on the throwing arm by means of thetwo said surfaces of the throwing arm which are substantiallyperpendicular to each other and during the movement of the throwing armthe clay pigeon rolls outwardly running with its edge on the uprightsurface, supported by the substantially horizontal surface of thethrowing arm. Owing to the rotation of the clay pigeon, the effect ofthe action of the wind is substantially reduced so that the performanceunder varying conditions of the wind is more uniform.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus of theaforesaid kind giving a substantially greater rotation to the claypigeon and consequently a far safer and better performance than theapparatus hitherto known.

This is accomplished in that along part of its length, the surface ofthe throwing arm supporting the fiat part of the clay pigeon is Iof awidth less than the radius of the clay pigeon.

According to the invention such surface of the throwing arm as supportsthe clay pigeon may appropriately, only at the beginning of the pathalong which the clay pigeon moves, be so broad that it is able toprevent the pigeon from falling from the throwing arm, whereas its widthis gradually decreasing along the said arm, being thus 0f substantiallyV-shaped contour.

It has been found that the trajectory of the target or pigeon dischargedby means of such an apparatus is substantially formed as an arc of acircle, viewed from the side, and substantially as a straight line,viewed from above, even in a strong head wind or side wind.

The reason for these good results is that the friction between the claypigeon and the throwing arm is substantially reduced by the aforesaidform of the surface of the throwing arm supporting the clay pigeon, sothat the clay pigeon is caused to rotate at a significantly higher speedthan that attained by any hitherto known apparatus. The rotational speedis so high that when falling on a grass field the clay pigeon rebounds,about 10 m. to one side, substantially at right angles to thetrajectory. Such an effect lhas never so far been observed by theapparatus hitherto known.

With an apparatus of the known kind the clay pigeon coul-d `be thrownabout 70 m. by means of an 8 mm. spring, whereas with an apparatus ofcorresponding design and size with an 8 mm. spring the clay pigeon canbe thrown m. if the throwing arm is designed in accordance with thepresent invention.

Another important effect achieved by the invention is that, practicallyspeaking, there is no bursting of the clay pigeon. With the apparatushitherto known a certain number of clay pigeons are expected to breakduring the throw. This is, in the first place, inconvenient to thetarget practice, and, in the second place, it may be erroneously countedas a score.

An embodiment of a target trap according to the invention will now bedescribed with reference to the drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 shows the trap, viewed in perspective,

FIGURE 2 shows a throwing arm, viewed from the side, in a section on theline II-II of FIGURE 3,

FIGURE 3 shows the throwing arm according to FIG- URE 2, viewed fromabove, and

FIGURE 4 shows the throwing arm according to FIG- URES 2 and 3, viewedfrom the left-hand side, that is, from the end.

A target trap consists of a frame 1 with a base 2 adapted for attachmentto a foundation. In the front end of the frame is a hub 3 in which thereis mounted a shaft carrying a crank 4 at its lower end, which isconnected with a powerful coil spring 5, and having a throwing arm 6 atits upper end.

In FIGURE 1 the throwing arm 6 is shown in its released state, that is,after having discharged a target. From this position the arm is turned,against the action of the spring 5, in a clockwise direction `until itis aligned with a straight part 7 of the frame 1, in which it may belocked by known means. In this position the apparatus is ready todischarge and the arm and the accumulated spring power may then bereleased by a suitable releasing means, preferably remote controlled,after which the throwing arm 6, owing to the rapid rotary movementimparted to it by the action of the spring through the crank 4, isbrought into the position shown in FIGURE l, whereby a clay pigeonplaced on the throwing arm is hurled obliquely up into the air.

As appears from FIGURES 2-4, the throwing arm 6 consists of two railsSand 9 the upwardly facing surfaces of which form a supporting surfacefor the clay pigeon, which in FIGURE 3 is indicated by chain-dottedlines and denoted by 10, whereas itis shown in soli-d line in FIG- URE4. As will be observed, one raii 9 is disposed so as to form an acuteangle with the other rail 8, whereby the whole supporting surface forthe clay pigeon is of V- shaped contour and thus is of a widthdecreasing towards the free end of the arm. Thus, rails 8- and 9 denewith their support bracket as shown in FIG. 3, a right triangularoutline with a vertex at the free end of the arm and a side opposite thevertex which has a length only slightly greater than the radius of thetarget.

Attached to the rail 8 is another rail 11 of angular cross section andhaving a ange 12 which is parallel with the upwardly facing surface ofthe rail 8 and to which is 3 attached a rubber fillet 13 with which afluted cylindrical surface 14 of the clay pigeon is in contact. Theupright part of the rail 11 is provided with a number of holes 15serving to reduce the air resistance during the swinging movement of thethrowing arm.

As previously described, the apparatus is put under tension by turningthe throwing arm 6 according to FIG- URE 1 in clockwise direction,locking it to the frame. A clay pigeon 10 is then placed on thesupporting surface constituted by the upwardly Vfacing surfaces of therails 8 and 9 as indicated in FIGURES 3 and 4, the peripheral fiutedsurface 14 resting in Contact with the rubber fillet 13. When thelocking mechanism is subsequently release-d, the spring 5 will also bereleased and swing the arm 6 in counterclockwise direction as shown inFIGURE 1. During this movement the clay pigeon 1,0 rolls outwards alongthe arm, and as the supporting surface, as seen from FIGURE 3, is of awidth decreasing outwards, the friction between the said surface and thedownwardly facing surface of the clay pigeon is decreasing too. Theflutes 14 ensure in combination with the rubber fillet 13 that the claypigeon rolls smoothly along the flange 12 on which it is capable ofbalancing as soon as the arm has attained a certain speed.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. Apparatus for throwing a disc-shaped target cornprising a frame, athrowing arm mounted on the frame for pivotal movement about an upwardlyinclined axis,

the arm having a free end remote from said axis, means connected to thethrowing arm for producing pivotal movement thereof, said throwing armincluding two straight rail portions connected together at an acuteangle to form a first surface :for slidably supporting a discshapedtarget, said throwing arm having a second surface adjacent andperpendicular to the first surface for engaging the periphery of thetarget to produce rotation of the target as it slides along the slidingsurface, said first surface being substantially shaped as a right angletriangle having a vertex arranged at 4the free end of the throwing armand a side opposite the vertex which has a length which is slightlygreater than the radius of the target, a bracket supporting said arm,and a shaft coupled to said bracket and mounted in said frame.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,229,092 6/1917 Kimble 124-82,245,258 6/1941 Darrell 124-8 2,531,613 11/1950 Darrell 124-8 RICHARDC. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner.

W. R. BROWNE, Assistant Examiner.

U.S. C1. X.R. 124-43

